April 30, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
I hope the longer days, warmer weather, and flowering trees and plants, are making your days brighter and more comfortable. As you may have heard, students in the high school aged 16 and over had an opportunity to get their first Pfizer vaccination yesterday. Approximately 70 students were vaccinated. The second vaccination will take place in three weeks.
Understanding that there were students that had conflicts or were unable to receive a vaccination at the clinic we operated at CHS yesterday, another smaller clinic is being planned for May 6th. In the event that this clinic fills to capacity, a third clinic will be scheduled.
The link is here: https://www.vaccinateri.org/reg/9812600589
This link will be disabled at 4:00 pm on May 5th.
Provided below are a number of items for your review:
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Dr. Philip Thornton will be returning to Cumberland as the new superintendent of schools. He will undoubtedly continue the good work happening in our school system. We wish Dr. Thornton well as he takes on the challenges of our times.
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Students in special programs, grades K, 1, 2 and students in grades 9 through 12, will return to 5 days of in-person learning effective Monday, May 3rd. Students in grades 3 through 8 will return to 5 days of in-person learning on June 1st, when RICAS testing is completed.
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As a reminder, the number of students allowed to ride the bus increased to 75% of capacity after April vacation.
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High School Senior Sarah Leduc attended the School Committee meeting last night. She spoke about the fundraiser she started for Day One. We are proud of Sarah for her commitment to raising funds for this worthwhile cause. I mentioned her fundraiser in a previous communication. Here is what we shared with you. Today is the last day to support Sarah’s fundraising effort. Please consider making a contribution. My name is Sarah Leduc and I am a senior at Cumberland High School. I just wanted to let you know that I am doing a fundraiser for sexual assault awareness month. All proceeds go directly to Day One, the Rhode Island rape crisis center. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share or donate to my fundraiser! Day One provides therapies, workshops, trauma based yoga, educational classes, hotlines, law enforcement advocacy, and so much more. Day One is a nonprofit and relies solely on donations and grants so this fundraiser is very important! I put the go fund me link in this email. Thank you so much! -Sarah Leduc https://gofund.me/12805512
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If there are families in need of clothes, there is help. There is an organization called Clothes to Kids Rhode Island available to support families. Students are able to choose their own clothing that suits their personality – FREE OF CHARGE! Here is the link to the website with information about the opportunity. http://clothestokidsri.org/
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I received this information from our High School Chorus Director, Amanda Santo. “I would like to invite you to join us on Sunday, May 2nd at 6:00 p.m. for the World Premiere of the 2021 RIMEA All-State Virtual Music Festival Concert! This special evening features over 600 Rhode Island student musicians in grades 7-12 performing in guitar ensembles, choirs, jazz bands, concert bands, and orchestras. I am proud that we have many students from our Clipper Chorus, Clef Singers, and Clipper Band Programs participating. To tune in, please visit the RIMEA webpage at https://www.rimea.org/as and click on the concert link. We hope you will tune in! This performance will make a wonderful addition to your Sunday afternoon.”
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The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
We are getting closer to the routines we were accustomed to prior to the pandemic. As we have heard many times and will continue to hear, it is important for us to remain vigilant with all of the mitigation measures that we know minimizes the transmission of Covid 19.
Thank you for your continued support and patience. Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
April 26, 2021
Dear Students, Staff and Families,
I hope you were able to enjoy the school vacation week with some much needed rest and relaxation.
As stated in my communication on April 16th, I want to remind you of a few important upcoming changes to in-person learning.
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The Reopening of School Task Force decided that students in special programs, grades K, 1, 2 and students in grades 9 through 12, will return to 5 days of in-person learning effective Monday, May 3rd. Students in grades 3 through 8 will return to 5 days of in-person learning when RICAS testing is completed.
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The number of students allowed to ride the bus has increased to 75% of capacity starting this week.
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Early Release Days will continue on Mondays. Please be sure to make the necessary arrangements for your children.
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B.F. Norton & Garvin Schools – 1:50pm
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Ashton, Community & JJM Cumberland Hill Schools – 2:20pm
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McCourt MS & North Cumberland MS – 1:30pm
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Cumberland High School – 12:55pm
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As a reminder, students and staff traveling out of state can return to school on day 8 after quarantining for 7 days with proof of a negative PCR or BINAX test on or after day 5. The test cannot be done before day 5. This is for students and staff who have traveled or are planning to travel out of state and for students and staff who have been identified as close contacts.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way back to a more normal routine.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
April 16, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
As you have heard, the high school is distance learning today because a number of students (11) have tested positive for COVID-19 since April 1st. This decision was made after we received a phone call from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) late yesterday afternoon. The high school schedule presents more of a challenge when completing contact tracing because students attend several different classes over the course of the school day. High school students are not in stable pods like the elementary and middle schools. As a result, several high school students have been quarantined because they have been determined to be close contacts by the RIDOH. We are sending out a separate communication to high school students, staff, and families with information from RIDOH.
Even though more and more of us are getting vaccinated, it is still important that we remain vigilant with all of the mitigation measures that we know reduces our risk such as wearing a mask, hand washing, cleaning surfaces, etc.
- The Reopening of School Task Force decided in their meeting on Wednesday, that students in special programs, grades K, 1, 2 and students in grades 9 through 12, will return to 5 days of in-person learning effective Monday, May 3rd. Students in grades 3 through 8 will return to 5 days of in-person learning when RICAS testing is completed.
- As a reminder, the number of students allowed to ride the bus will increase to 75% of capacity after April vacation.
- Since April vacation is next week, we want to remind students and staff traveling out of state that they can return to school on day 8 after quarantining for 7 days with proof of a negative PCR or BINAX test on or after day 5. The test cannot be done before day 5. This is for students and staff who have traveled or are planning to travel out of state and for students and staff who have been identified as close contacts.
- We will be receiving a significant quantity of personal protective equipment from the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) next week including adult masks, child masks, face shields, gowns, disinfectant wipes and thermometers. We will be in good shape for some time to come. We appreciate the support from RIEMA.
- There was a meeting at Cumberland Hill elementary school to begin planning for the transition to the swing space at the Trans Building. Our Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) representative, Holly Demers, will be meeting with the staff to answer questions and offer support based on her extensive experience in working with schools. We will be providing opportunities for families to meet and ask any questions that they might have at some point in the future.
- The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way back to a more normal routine. Enjoy this well-deserved vacation.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
April 16, 2021
Good Afternoon CHS faculty, staff, students and families,
We received a phone call late yesterday afternoon from the RI Department of Health concerning the recent positive test results for 11 Cumberland High School Students and the need to quarantine 127 students determined to be close contacts. Given the inability to maintain stable pods of students in the high school and the inability to quarantine segments of the high school population, the DOH recommended the switch to distance learning today leading up to the April school vacation. Out of an abundance of caution, the DOH is recommending that all CHS students and staff (including those who are fully vaccinated) get tested for COVID-19. The communication from the Department of Health is attached which includes testing information.
Please be advised that we will be undertaking a deep cleaning and sanitizing of our high school over the April vacation period to prepare the building for the return of students and staff. We will be sure to update you if there are any changes to our plans.
Cumberland High School Testing Letter_04162021.pdf… Read More...
April 9, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
Happy Friday everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. As you may have heard, a third of the country has received at least one vaccination with more vaccinations happening every day. This is a reason for optimism. However, we still have a responsibility to stay vigilant especially with concerns about the variants.
Listed below are a number of items for your review:
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I am pleased to report that all grades, kindergarten through grade 12 are back in school for 4 days of in-person learning. Grades 10 and 11 started this week. Our goal is to get all students back into school for 5 days a week. That will happen after the RICAS testing.
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As I have mentioned at our recent School Committee meetings, our biggest challenge to getting students back for 5 days is scheduling RICAS for all students including distance learners. We need to use Mondays to accommodate the testing of those students. We will be sure to keep you informed of the schedule moving forward.
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As a reminder, the Reopening of School Task Force agreed to allow students and staff to return to school on day 8 after quarantining for 7 days with proof of a negative PCR or BINAX test on or after day 5. The test can not be done before day 5. This is for students and staff who have traveled or are planning to travel out of state and for students and staff who have been identified as close contacts. This is important information since a much needed April vacation is rapidly approaching.
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We have learned that the number of students allowed to ride the bus will increase to 75% of capacity after April vacation. This will be a big help to families who have been very supportive in getting their children to and from school every day. The increase in bus ridership will take that burden away from parents.
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As I have stated in previous communications and again at last night’s School Committee meeting, despite the ramifications of the pandemic, the federal government and RIDE expects every student in the state to take RICAS. We have been told repeatedly that there are no exemptions except for medical reasons. There are no opt-outs. Please know that we have a responsibility to carry out this directive. As a result, all students, including distance learners, will be required to come to school and take this assessment.
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The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
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After today, all Cumberland School Department employees will have had an opportunity to receive both vaccinations.
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As you know, Cumberland Hill elementary school will be the first school to undergo extensive renovation work beginning this summer and continuing through the next school year. Cumberland Hill students and staff will be housed in the Trans Building while the renovations are taking place. As soon as the school year ends, work will begin on the Trans Building in preparation for Cumberland Hill’s students and staff. The Trans Building will be referred to as the “Swing Space” while the facilities work is taking place. There is a lot of planning underway and we will be sure to keep everyone informed as soon as the plans are solidified.
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I received this request from a student at the high school. Please consider supporting this cause.
Hello! My name is Sarah Leduc and I am a senior at Cumberland High School. I just wanted to let you know that I am doing a fundraiser for sexual assault awareness month. All proceeds go directly to Day One, the Rhode Island rape crisis center. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share or donate to my fundraiser! Day One provides therapies, workshops, trauma based yoga, educational classes, hotlines, law enforcement advocacy, and so much more. Day One is a nonprofit and relies solely on donations and grants so this fundraiser is very important! I put the go fund me link in this email. Thank you so much! -Sarah Leduc https://gofund.me/12805512
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way back to a more normal routine. Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
